title: [Effects of policosanol combined with simvastatin on serum lipids and sex hormones in male patients with hyperlipidemia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effects and safety of policosanol combined with simvastatin on serum lipids and sex hormones in male patients with hyperlipidemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  This randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled study included 120 male patients with hyperlipidemia. Patients were divided randomly into treatment group(n = 60) and control group(n = 60). Patients in the treatment group were administrated with simvastatin (40 mg/d) plus policosanol (20 mg/d),and those in the control group were treated with simvastatin (40 mg/d) plus placebo (20 mg/d). The values of total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C), testosterone(T) and estradiol (E2) were assessed before and after 16 weeks treatment.Drug-induced adverse effects were observed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Baseline characteristics were similar between groups. TC,TG, LDL-C were (5.74 ± 0.99) , (1.62 ± 0.69), (3.60 ± 0.56) mmol/L in the treatment group at baseline and significantly reduced after 16 weeks treatment (4.57 ± 0.58), (1.54 ± 0.55), (2.68 ± 0.38) mmol/L (all P < 0.05). TC, LDL-C were (5.99 ± 0.93) , (3.76 ± 0.42) mmol/L in the control group at baseline and significantly reduced after 16 weeks treatment (5.03 ± 0.59) , (2.98 ± 0.28) mmol/L (all P < 0.05) while TG remained unchanged post 16 weeks therapy in the control group. Simvastatin plus policosanol achieved a significantly greater reduction in LDL-C and TC than simvastatin plus placebo (P < 0.05). HDL-C,T and E2 were similar before and after 16 weeks treatments in both groups (P > 0.05) .The adverse reactions were similar between the two groups, most of them were mild and happened at the beginning of drug therapy and could be well tolerated.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Simvastatin/policosanol produces greater decreases in TC, LDL-C than simvastatin/placebo without resulting more side effects and changes on sex hormones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Sai-zhu
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Xun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005233:Fatty Alcohols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019821:Simvastatin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016037:Single-Blind Method
chemical_list: D005233:Fatty Alcohols; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D008055:Lipids; C080710:policosanol; D019821:Simvastatin